Day from Hell
by csi101
Summary: Nick should have taken the day off sick. Instead he goes to work...and wishes he hadn't as he goes through a day from hell.
1. Chapter 1

I dont really know where I'll head with this story yet. I started it a fair while ago and thought I'd give it another go. I dont know how realistic some of the scenarios are so please forgive me for any liberties I have taken with fact. As always, I dont own the rights to any of the CSI characters or concepts. Any comments or feedback is greatly welcomed. Many thanks in advance. And thanks to all those who commented on my last attempt at fanfic.

Chapter One

In hindsight, Nick should have just taken the goddamn day off sick.

He'd been battling a nasty chest cold for nearly a week now with little sign of improvement but, instead of resting up at home, had dragged himself into work.

Since they had lost Warrick, the lab had been seriously understaffed with experienced investigators and Nick felt duty bound to continue turning up at work even when his body was screaming at him to sleep.

But then, everyone was in the same boat. Grissom had looked like death warmed up for weeks. Nick would put money on him not having slept since Warricks death. Catherine was exhausted from work and stressed with worry about Lindsay. Even Brass looked worn out lately. Its no wonder they had all been sick.

Nick had been the last one to succumb, had fought it long and hard until he couldn't fight it any longer, and had been hit harder than all the others.

Catherine had seen him arrive for his shift, had laid a hand gently across his forehead and whistled low at the heat radiating from him. "You should be home in bed." she stated matter-of-factly.

Instead he had taken a couple of Tylenol and gone to the break room to wait for assignments to be doled out by Grissom.

He made himself a strong cup of coffee and was having a quick lie down on the sofa when Grissom came in and cast Nick a quick appraising look. He cocked an eyebrow up at him in an unsaid question which Nick waved off and dismissed with a quick "I'm fine." before sitting up and reaching for the offered assignment slip.

"I've got a 419 for you out in Toiyabe," Grissom started, "You're with me and Catherine." Nick nodded mutely at him, dully thinking he would have really preferred to be a little closer to Vegas tonight. Grissom kept his eye on him a moment longer before asking more quietly "Are you sure you're up for this?"

Nick gave a small smile and looked back up at Grissom saying again "I'll be fine Gris."

"Yeah? Well you look like hell."

Nick chuckled and pushed himself to his feet. "I'll go find Catherine."

Nick loved Catherine to bits - particularly when she offered to drive.

He relaxed back in the back passenger seat with a long sigh and closed his eyes.

Catherine glanced between the road and Nick, concern evident in her eyes when he started coughing.

"For Gods sake, Nicky," she finally said, "What are you doing? I should drive you home and put you to bed."

Nick rubbed a hand across his face and gave her a wan smile.

"I'll be fine, Cath." he said, "I'm startin' to feel a little better already now the drugs are kickin' in."

Catherine didn't look placated but continued to drive.

They headed out of the city and into the hills surrounding Vegas. Catherine and Grissom talked quietly in the front, letting Nick doze in the back.

He lay his head against the cool glass of the window and gazed out at the scenery with tired eyes.

They climbed further and further into the hills, away from civilisation and into the national park. The bitumen road gave way to a gravel one.

It never ceased to amaze Nick how beautiful this area was and yet how so many people would pass through Vegas without ever experiencing anything other than the casinos and the Strip.

He closed his eyes and felt the vibrations of the car which lulled him deeper and deeper into sleep.

The screaming of brakes and metal tearing at metal brought Nick back to consciousness immediately. Allbeit not for very long. He felt the car lurching and rolling. He heard Grissom shout out in warning.

He heard Catherine screaming and heard a male voice screaming out as well. In some deep recess of his brain he realised it was his own voice.

Then everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the great feedback. Its much appreciated. As I said in Chapter 1, I'm not really planning anything with this story - just seeing where it ends up. And, again, please excuse any liberties I may have taken with reality. I have tried to keep it pretty real but, of course, there are always elements of the fantastic to enhance some of the drama. So, please forgive.

Chapter 2

"Nick? Nicky? Open you eyes! Nicky, you need to wake up, come on!" The urgency in Catherines voice woke him just as effectively as the light slaps against his face as Catherine tried desperately to rouse him.

He opened his eyes but couldn't focus very well. He felt groggy, like his head wasn't connected to his body.

Distantly he heard another voice, this one male, but no less urgent.

"We need to get him out! Let me in, let me in."

He felt hands gripping underneath his armpits but they felt strange. It dawned on him dully that he wasn't the right way up. He saw Catherines face leaning close to him and felt the seat belt snap then the strong arms pulled him free of the car seat and dragged him several feet away. He was positioned with his back against a tree, the same strong hands resting momentarily against his chest.

Then he felt it.

Searing pain ran along the length of his left leg. He felt pain in his chest and his head felt like it was about to explode. He screamed out in pain - the sound of his agony much louder in his head than was actually audible. A sharp wave of nausea raced through him and he gripped his chest as he dry wretched once, rolling awkwardly to his left side - without moving his injured left leg - and causing him to fall onto his side as he vomited blood stained mucous and bile, thankful that his cold had taken his appetite for the last few days. He dry wretched once more, the pain of his ribs agonising, and lay taking sobbing breaths as he fought to get control of his rebellious stomach and the pain.

And then the coughing from his cold starting again - each cough inflaming the agony in his head,chest and leg even more.

The hands were back again, dragging him back up into a sitting position.

His vision cleared enough for him to make out Grissom kneeling in front of him, his hands moving to either side of Nicks head and giving him a stern, appraising look. One of his hands came to rest on his forehead and Nick felt a thumb plying open wide first one eyelid then the other before brushing paternally through his hair as Grissom sighed audibly. The hands moved again to Nicks shirt and he felt the buttons being undone and the shirt fabric being peeled away.

He hissed in pain as the hands started probing his chest, moving across what he could feel was obviously either cracked or broken ribs. His head lolled to the side as the hands continued down to palpate his abdomen.

Nick was still groaning in pain as the hands finally withdrew. Opening an eye to see where Grissom had gone, Nick saw he was still in front of him but was fumbling in his vest, his fingers withdrawing a penknife. Nick watched as if in a dream as Grissom positioned the knife beneath Nicks jeans hem and started cutting the heavy denim right up the length of his left leg.

He watched his boss' face twitch with concern and became aware of Catherine beside him too. He hadn't noticed her before and reached out a hand to her which she accepted quickly and gave him a worried smile in return. He noticed a deep cut running along her hairline on her right temple. Fresh blood had tracked down her cheek, more smeared along her forehead where she had wiped it with her hand. He also noticed her right arm was pinned to her side and the fabric of her top was torn at her shoulder. He reached to touch it, his eyes asking the question when his voice failed him.

Catherine gave him another wan smile and whispered "I'm fine, sweetie. I'm fine"

Nick didn't look convinced but drew his gaze to Grissom now too, mumbling "You 'K?". Grissom raised a hand to Nicks shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze. "I'm in better shape than you, Nick." he replied with a faint hint of a smile. But Nick noticed he held his back when he stood back up and a wet patch on his dark trousers showed a fairly substantial amout of blood contained within the material. Grissom limped back over to the SUV, which was lying on its side, its roof flattened out significantly, its windows missing and the windscreen lying nearby shattered but still in one piece.

The pain kicked at Nick once more and he clung onto his chest for dear life willing it to ease off. His leg was on fire. It was burning. Or at least it felt like it.

The renewed pain made his breathing come in short gasps. His eyes squeezed tightly shut. He felt Catherines hand against his face, stroking his cheek. He stayed very still, each minute movement making the pain worse.

Finally it eased - barely.

He wanted to ask Catherine what had happened but his voice was almost non-existent. He managed to whisper "Wha' 'ppened." Catherine continued to stroke her fingers through his hair and against his cheek as she explained how they had met a car coming straight at them at high speed. The car had lost control in the gravel and had side swiped the rear of the SUV pushing it off the road and over the embankment. They had rolled several times before coming to rest at the bottom of the embankment - several feet below the road. The other car had followed them over the embankment into a tree. The driver had not survived.

Now they were stuck. Nick couldn't be moved any further. Grissom couldn't walk very far with his back and his injured leg. Catherine was limited in movement with her shoulder. There was no cell coverage. Their vehicle was destroyed and the road was rarely used.

All they could do was wait.

And wait.


	3. Chapter 3

Yet again - please forgive any factual inaccuracies. I hope you enjoy where this story is heading. I am a big Nick fan and, lets face it, I love the stories where Nick is in peril or sick or miserable etc etc etc. I particularly like writing stories where Nick is showing emotion - as I really dont think he would have gone through everything he has on the show without some hangups! Anyway - please read and let me know what you think. Thanks : )

Chapter 3

Catherine stayed next to Nick, soothing him with comfoting words when the pain flared, as Grissom fossicked in the wreckage of their car. Nick tried to keep as still as possible, his breath coming in short pants during the worst of the pain. Between his leg, his chest and his head, he barely cared about their predicament.

Grissom came back to them with the seatbelts draped over his arm which he had cut out of the car. He had also pulled out as much of their kits as he could from the back of the vehicle and had two metal footprint moulds in his arms.

Sitting down heavily next to Nick he started jimmying the moulds apart and, with considerable effort, straightened them until they were almost flat and even.

Moving to Nicks mangled leg he took a couple of deep breaths and looked him in the eyes. The nausea returned as the reality of what Grissom was going to say next dawned on him.

His breathing increased which ripped at his leg even more.

Grissom lay a hand gently on Nicks good leg and spoke quietly and calmly to him.

"Nick, I'm going to have to stabilise your leg. There's a clear fracture and I need to strap your leg straight to relieve some of the pain and to make it easier to move you if we have to. Do you understand."

Nick clung onto Catherines offered hand and chewed at his bottom lip as he nodded mutely. His brain knew it had to be done but he really, really didn't want to have to go through it.

His breathing was coming fast in anticipation of agony as he felt Grissoms hands move to his left leg and take a firm grip on either side of the break.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

He heard Grissom ask if he was ready, again in the calm voice, and, again, he nodded quietly.

Then he felt pain like he'd never imagined before - he would have ripped himself out of his own body if he could have. He screamed with a breath he could barely sustain as bones twisted and ground together, snapping audibly back into place, and he was suddenly out the other side in a foggy, dull dream.

His leg was throbbing badly but the intense pain had settled to a bearable level.

He heard muffled voices but couldn't make out what they were saying and could feel hands supporting him but they felt dull as if he was floating.

Then all the colour left the world and turned it to grey.

Nick crept closer and closer towards consciousness - the closer he got, the more the crushing pressure in his chest increased, and the throbbing in his head felt more like jackhammers. He groaned and brought a hand up to clench to his head.

He heard movement and a hand stroking through his hair again and became aware he was lying down, covered with a jacket with another one as a pillow under his head.

It was darker than he remembered and things were a little blurry. It dawned on him that it was evening now. There was full moonlight but the sun had definitely gone down.

He tried to push himself up but gave it up as a bad joke when the pain kicked in again.

He heard Catherine "shush"-ing him and felt her gently guide him back down. But he was not comfortable. He was hot.

He tried to throw off the jacket covering him, suddenly too hot to stand it.

Catherines mothering continued as she tried to get him to quieten. Brushing her hand across his forehead she called Grissom over and grabbed the first aid kit which they had saved from the car and had used to patch up some of their minor wounds.

Gazing up at her, his feverish eyes made out that her injured arm was now supported in a sling restricting her movement even more.

He heard her talking to Grissom quietly and made out "burning up." as he felt Grissoms hand lay against his forehead.

He heard more movement and felt beautiful coolness start brushing across his sweat drenched forehead as Catherine mopped his brow with another sling from the first aid kit drenched with water.

He became aware of his body shuddering but couldn't stop it.

His leg felt weird and looking down he pulled the jacket off again and saw his leg had been bound securely. Grissom had taken the opportunity while Nick was unconscious to fit the metal splints in place and bandage them tightly and to manouvuere him into a more comfortable position.

Then, because there was nothing much else left to do, he had hoofed it back up to the road and built a large pile of wood with crime tape shaped into an arrow to alert any passing cars, and returned to wait it out with Nick and Catherine. He figured that the attending police despatched to the crime scene would have alerted Brass to their non-appearance by now so it shouldn't be much longer before help arrived.

But, thought Grissom, with Nicks condition deteriorating, he hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

Grissom wrapped the jacket back around Nicks shoulders and held it there as the younger man continued to try and rip it away. If he was trying to talk, it wasn't making any sense to Grissom. He was mumbling and shivering so much his whole body vibrated dramatically.

Nick was feeling utterly miserable. He couldn't think straight. He kept asking what was happening and no-one was answering him. He was hurting everywhere. He couldn't see properly and it scared him, but when he tried to tell them, again, they wouldn't answer him. And that ever present gaddamn jacket - he was roasting! And yet every time he ripped it away, it made its way back tighter than before.

He tried again, ripping it away and succeeded momentarily so tried to rip off his shirt too, too damn hot for any contact.

Grissom had stood up to get another bottle of water from the supplied which he had recues from the SUV and, in that brief moment, Nick had removed the jacket again. Catherine was trying to stop him one handed from pulling his shirt off as well.

Nick was becomming more distressed and was fighting amazingly hard against the clothing. The pain was ever-constant and the nausea was getting worse and worse the hotter he became. He could feel thick saliva building up in the back of his throat again and desperately tried to sit up again as the wretching started afresh. He felt the disembodied hands come out of thin air and hoist him up slightly and turn him a little to the side, supporting him as he heaved painfully.

He felt gentle hands rubbing his back and felt more soothing coolness being held against the back of his neck and wiping his forehead.

After several wretches with little result, his pain flared yet again, causing his breath to come in painful sobs.

The hands lay him gently down again and the jacket was back as was the cool compress to his face and neck.

And he closed his eyes.

He was so tired.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the great feedback. I'm glad to hear there are others in the world who like a bit of Nick angst!!

CHAPTER 4

He felt vague tapping at his face and heard muted words - a male's voice - ordering him to open his eyes again.

It took an enormous amount of effort to drag his eyelids halfway open. He made out the bleery sight of Catherine next to Grissoms face. The gentle, worried smile was back as she asked him 'Are you still with us, Nicky?'

The pressure in his head was killing him and he couldn't remember ever being this tired in his life. And the nausea. It was everpresent.

And that goddamn tapping against his face. He tried to hit out at it to make it stop but felt hands grab hold of his wrists and holding them firm. He tried to pull free but the hands were too strong.

His vision was greying again and he was aware very vaguely of feeling afraid by this, but he didn't have the energy to be able to fight anymore.

Grissom watched as Nicks eyes slipped shut again. He continued to tap and rub his face trying to get him to stay awake - calling his name, ordering him, pleading with him, anything to get him to respond.

But it didn't work.

Catherine moved to pull Nick over - awkward with the use of only one arm - so that his head rested on her knees as she knealt behind him. She was almost sobbing with frustration as she slapped at his face to try and rouse him.

But that failed too.

And then Grissom heard it.

It was faint, but he heard it.

A vehicle.

And it was coming closer.

He jumped to his feet and clutched at his leg as the forgotten pain reignited. But this was more important than pain. They needed help. And they needed it now.

Grissom moved as fast as his body allowed him and headed for the road.

Catherine was still pleading with Nick and physically jumped at Grissoms abrupt movement.

And then she heard it too.

Grissom clambered up the slope to the road as headlights came around the sweeping bend and waved and shouted as he made his way towards the slowing vehicle.

He could have cried with relief when Jim Brass jumped out of the passenger seat and ran to his friend.

Jims questions were overshadowed by Grissoms desperate demands for an ambulance to be called.

They heard Catherine call out with renewed urgency and Grissom touched Brass' arm as he turned back, making brief eyecontact and repeating 'Ambulance. Quickly.' Then he turned on his heels and made his way back to his two team members as fast as he could, sliding back down the slope and ignoring the stabbing pain in his leg to get back to Catherine.

Nicks arms were moving, but not hitting out anymore. Instead they were jerking one way and the other becomming more and more violent as it progressed to the rest of his body. Catherines hand moved to rest against his cheek as his head jerked back into her knees as his whole body started convulsing.

Grissom moved quickly to pull Nick off Catherine's knees and to roll him on his side, holding him there as he heard someone sliding down the embankment and puffing over to them. He turned as Jim bent down to Gils head and said quietly, "Air and road ambulances dispatched."

The thrashing started to abate and Nick's body slowly became still. It was all quiet momentarily with the exception of Nicks breathing which had started coming in short sharp snores.

Grissom tilted his head back and cleared his airway, maintaining his hand on his head to keep his airway open.

He heard Jim exhale and almost whisper "Christ, breathing shouldn't be that hard." Grissom gave a half shrug and cast him a tired glance - "At least he's breathing." he stated simply.

Picking up one of Nicks hands, he asked Jim to shine his much needed torch at his fingernails. Grissom peered at them closely and could just make out a dark tinge at the base of his nails. He could still see pink around the tips though, so that gave him some hope.

Jim moved back to the base of the embankment and called out to the other responding officer to bring down the extra jackets.

Passing them to Catherine and Grissom, Jim looked around the makeshift camp site which was bathed in bright moonlight. He took a first look at the wreckage of the black SUV and shook his head in amazement that the three of them had survived at all. The roof was crushed in and the back end of the vehicle was badly caved in.

He visually followed the other gouged out trail over the other slight embankment and saw where the second car was crumpled into a tree.

He went over and peered through the rear window and made out the still figure sprawled across the front of the car. It was obvious he had no chance of survival.

In the back seat of the car he noticed a couple of garbage bags which were torn and had folage protruding through the tear. Jim peered harder, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. The plants had similar shaped leaves to tomato plants. Marijuana.

He sighed and shook his head, turned and headed back up to the others.

He would deal with that later he thought as he heard Catherine's soothing words again and, looking back at his friends, saw Nick begin to start thrashing a second time.

Then he heard his officer call out that the chopper was only minutes out and he ran back up to his own SUV to help block off the road to any traffic so the helicopter could land safety.

Finally the lights appeared in the sky and he heard the whirring of the rotors increase until it was right upon them.

Grissom and Catherine continued to hold Nick on his side as the second seizure passed. Grissom hung his head in a mixture of exhaustion and relief when he heard Nicks rough breathing even out again over the noise of the helicopter arriving.

And then the cavalry arrived.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry - I forgot to add my usual notes to the beginning. But as always, thanks so much for all the feedback. I feel I need to keep apologising for any inaccuracies in the story - as an ex-nurse I know it can really alter the flow of the story if your mind is telling you that certain things really wouldn't happen, but sometimes I just need to escape reality for a bit and delve into the escapism of fiction. Anyway....

CHAPTER 5

Grissom and Catherine both stood and made way for the paramedics. Grissom felt the enormous weight of responsibility leave his shoulders, knowing that Nicks survival was no longer depending on him. He would benefit now from proper medical attention. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Catherine, both utterly exhausted, and watched the flurry of activity in front of them.

The hands of both paramedics were moving rapidly over Nick. The first set concerning themselves with Nicks airway, fastening a hard collar around his neck, inserting an airway into his mouth and using a bag and mask to help Nicks breathing - they would worry about intubating him once they were back inside the helicopter.

The second set of hands were battling to insert an IV into Nicks arm. He was peripherally shut down and, compounded with dehydration, it took a couple of attempts to get a good flash back. Next they were cutting off his shirt and applying cardiac monitors so they could assess him during the flight.

"Are you two injured?" one of the paramedics called out to Grissom and Catherine. Grissom shook his head and replied "We're OK." but the paramedics glanced up at Catherines sling and bloodied forehead and answered "Yeah? Well there's another ambulance coming up by road. They'll probably be a little while yet." Grissom nodded again.

Catherine however, touched Grissoms arm as she spoke up - "Can I come with you? I dont want Nick to be alone. I want to be with him." The paramedic looked over and nodded. "There's not much room but if you give us space to work you can come."

Catherine gripped Grissoms arm and made eye contact as she asked "Will you be OK?" Grissom smiled wanly at her and said "Go Catherine. I'll be fine. Look after Nick."

Finally, the hands worked together to roll Nick onto a litter and strap him down for transport to the waiting helicopter which was ready to evacuate him.

The two paramedics carried the litter expertly up the slope, the bagging of oxygen into Nick momentarily stopped while he was transported but Grissom could still make out the rise and fall of Nicks chest as they passed by. Nick was still fighting.

Catherine made her way into the helicopter with the crew and Grissom and Brass stood back and watched as the helicopter rose into the air and banked around, heading back to Vegas.  
When the final whirring disappeared, the two men stood quietly for a moment longer before turning back to the scene. The other officer who had arrived with Brass was poking around at the other vehicle. "Uh, Captain Brass? There's bags in the back seat and what looks like cannabis inside."

Brass looked at Grissom who raised an eyebrow in reply. "Looks like our vic was a bad boy." said Jim. Grissom gave a tired smile and a shrug - "Crime doesn't pay." he replied.

The flight seemed to take no time at all. Catherine was jammed tight in the corner of the aircraft while the paramedics worked over Nick. She watched as another IV was hooked up and drugs administered so he could be intubated. A breathing tube replaced the airway and was hooked up to a respirator. Neuro obs were performed to gauge his level of unconsciousness. He was hooked up to an inflight cardiac monitor. His jeans were cut off and his leg assessed.

And then, they were there. Landing on the trauma pad at Desert Palms.

The doors were pulled open and more anonymous hands and faces were pulling Nick out to another guerney and pushing him into the waiting trauma room.

Catherine was swept along in the hive of activity and stood to the back of the room while they continued to work over Nick.

She heard people calling out vital signs and was amazed at how calm the atmosphere was despite the activity.

Finally, another woman in scrubs came up to her and stood with her for a moment, briefly describing what the plans were for Nick. CT scan of his head which would more than likely show what the doctors already suspected - a fracture to his skull and intracranial bleeding - and then surgery. They would deal with his leg and ribs afterwards.

Then the woman took Catherine by the arm and led her from the room. "You can sit with him as soon as he's out of surgery, but at the moment there's nothing more you can do for him and the team need to work." she said gently. "I'll take you to the emergency room so they can take a look at you and make sure you're OK, then we'll go to the waiting room and you can wait to see your friend."

Catherine gave in and followed the her out, casting a final look back at Nick before she left, willing him on without words.

Several hours had passed and it seemed like forever when Catherine finally saw Grissom and Jim walking towards her. Grissom was on crutches and Jim was walking slowly along beside him. They both looked up and smiled at Catherine as they headed into the waiting room.

Catherine had been cleaned up and her arm was resting in a clean sling. She had undergone xrays of her shoulder and would have to be in a sling until her cracked scapula healed. Her head laceration had been cleaned and butterfly clipped and she was taken back to the waiting room outside the ICU to wait for further news on Nick. A quick passby some windows showed morning sun. Catherine was relieved that Lindsay was away with friends for the rest of the week. It was one ess thing for her to worry about.

Grissom sat heavily in the chair next to her and Jim went off to get coffee leaving the two alone.

The door to the waiting room opened again shortly after Jim left and an efficient looking woman entered wearing a labcoat with a stethiscope around her neck and a hospital name badge dangling on a lanyard. She smiled kindly at the two of them and waved them to sit when Grissom and Catherine both made to stand. Instead she took a seat as well and moved it to sit in front of them. "You're Nick Stokes' contacts?" she asked without preamble. Grissom nodded and briefly introduced both himself and Catherine. The doctor nodded and shook hands before continuing. "My name's Dr Jill Honnicutt and I'm one of the team working on Nick. Firstly, Nick is one lucky man." Catherine smiled a small, humourless smile at this - lucky was one thing she had not equated to Nick after all the trauma he had experienced in life - and yet, she thought, he's still here. Maybe the doctor was right.

Dr Honnicutt continued. "He's just hit recovery. He suffered a hairline fracture to his skull but there was some intracranial bleeding with put enough pressure on his brain to cause the seizures and loss of consciousness. We were able to remove the clot and we'll keep him sedated and intubated for a couple of days then we'll let him wake up. We're optimistic that he should make a full recovery without complications."

Catherine let go of the breath that she didn't realise whe had been holding and reached out to grab Grissoms arm. He responded by covering her hand with his and squeezing gently.

The doctor smiled gently at them again before continuing. "His leg will have to wait until tomorrow and we'll take him back to theatre to repair the fracture. He has two cracked ribs and one fractured rib which should heal well in time. We're treating him aggressively with antibiotics prophylactically to avoid infection. We also found evidence of fluid on his lungs on his xrays which could be pneumonia. We're waiting to send off a sputum sample. The broadspectrum antibiotics he's on should help with that but we'll see what the specimen shows and will tailor his treatment accordingly."

"He had a cold before the accident." said Catherine "He had a fever yesterday. I should have taken him hime!" She was angry at herself for not acting.

"He's still febrile." said Dr Honnicutt, "But the antibiotics should help relatively quickly. He'll be OK, Ms Willows. It'll be a rough few days for him coming up, but he's stable now."

"When can we see him?" this time it was Grissom.

"He'll be getting moved to ICU now. They'll be a little while getting him settled, but I'll get someone to come out and get you as soon as they're done. Has his family been notified?"

A new voice entered the conversation - Brass was standing in the doorway with three coffees in a cardboard tray. "Working on that." he said "His parents are in Australia visiting one of his sisters. They've been contacted and are making arrangements to get back but they'll be a few days away. His brother is making arrangements to get to Vegas in the mean time."

The doctor nodded as Catherine spoke up again, "We're his family in Vegas." she said simply, "Can we stay with him until his family arrives? I dont want him to be alone."

Again the doctor nodded and said "We can arrange that. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to the ICU."

Jim handed the coffees to Catherine and Grissom as the doctor left and the three sat in silence, all exhausted, all relieved and all left to wait before they could see their friend.


	6. Chapter 6

This might be my last entry for a few days so please be patient for an update. Please tell me if you think this is getting about soppy - I'm getting a bit carried away. I hope you're still enjoying it. I'll update again as soon as I can. Please read on...

CHAPTER 6

Grissom, Catherine and Brass sat quietly for several long moments before Brass spoke up. He had been in contact with the uniforms who were still at the scene and they had found more bags of cannaibis in the trunk of the car. There was early evidence that the victim that the three CSIs were going to process was involved with drugs and there was a possibility the car accident victim could have been tied to the first call out. Investigations were just beginning.

Catherine couldn't have cared less. Her only concern now was Nick and the time seemed to take forever before a nurse popped her head around the door and said that they could see Nick. The nurse chatted to them on the walk to Nicks cubicle about what to expect, but the sight of her friend unconscious, on a respirator and with a multitude of tubes and drains caught her off guard.

Jim pulled a chair up for her and sat her down next to Nicks bed. She reached out and took hold of his limp hand, squeezing it tightly but getting no response back.

Nick looked as if he was sleeping. Peacefully unaware of the tube down his throat or the one snaking down his nose into his stomach.

Grissom took in all the tubes, listened to the regular soft sound of air being pumped into Nicks lungs, watched the rhythm of Nicks heart on the cardiac monitor, watched fluid running into his veins and urine draining into the catheter bag.

Jim squeezed Nicks foot and excused himself, saying he would go and follow up with the uniforms and see what was happening at the scene.

Grissom nodded and walked out with him - "I'll be back soon." he said to Catherine.

Catherine sat alone with Nick holding his hand and gently rubbing her thumb against his fingers. She looked at the gauze dressing which was covering his surgical wound on the side of his head. His hair had been shaved right back where they had operated.

She flinched when an alarm blared out of the ventilator. A nurse who had been moitoring Nicks condition from a nearby desk moved quickly to silence the alarm and offered Catherine a reassuring smile. "He's making an effort to breath on his own," she said, "that's a good sign. We'll keep him sedated until after he's been to theatre tomorrow then reduce it tomorrow night and let him wake up."

Catherine smiled at Nick and squeezed his hand tightly.

Still no response.

The nurse finished with the vetilator and checked Nicks vitals from the monitor above his bed. She finished by placing a thermometer into his ear. Her hand went to his forehead when she saw the result and turned back to Catherine when she said "He's still febrile, but the antibiotics should start bringing his temperature down soon. I'll give him a dose of paracetamol iv which should make him more comfortable as well."

Catherine thanked her and smiled as Grissom re-entered the room.

"He's doing good." she said as Grissom pulled up a seat.

Grissom smiled tiredly at her and said quietly "You should go home and get some rest, Catherine. I'll sit with him." Catherine snorted a laugh and looked Grissom up and down. "Grissom, you're hurt worse than I am. You go. I can take first watch."

Grissom finished the arguement. "I'm not leaving." he said simply.

So they both sat with Nick throughout the rest of the day. Each heading to the waiting room periodically to get some much needed sleep before relieving the other.

Late into the evening, Catherine walked back into the ICU after getting a couple of hours of rest and stopped in her tracks as she saw Grissom talking to Nick who was sitting in the chair next to him. She looked to the figure still in the bed and looked back at the other person.

Looking closer she saw it wasn't Nick after all but was a slightly older version of him. His face was a little different too. He looked up and saw Catherine staring at him and gave her a smile which was so similar to Nicks.

Grissom turned and got up offering his chair to Catherine.

"Catherine, this is Robbie Stokes. Nick's brother."

Robbie stood and shook her hand.

"Thanks for looking out for Nicko." he said glancing back at his younger brother.

Catherine shook her head at the thanks.

She sat back down next to Robbie and the three of them talked. They talked about Nicks family and his parents holidaying in Australia. They talked about Nick and what they did in their job. Robbie spoke about his job. Then, finally they fell into an easy quiet.

Catherine relaxed back in the chair and thought about what Robbie had said about Nick growing up. It was easy to see why he turned out so good. It was bred in the family. Seven kids growing up with good manners and consideration for all.

"Robbie's going to stay with Nick tonight." said Grissom, waking Catherine from her thoughts. "I think we should both go home and get some proper sleep Catherine. We can come back and sit with him tomorrow - let Robbie get some rest."

Catherine nodded and went to Nicks side and lay a gentle hand at the side of his face and gave him a small kiss on top of his head away from the wound.

"We'll see you tomorrow." Catherine said to Robbie, "Call us if there's any change."

Robbie nodded and stood up to shake their hands again as they left before pulling his chair right up to the side of his brothers bed and taking hold of his hand.

Catherine looked back once more from the ICU entrance, reluctant to go, and watched briefly as the older brother kept up a patter of conversation to the younger one.

She smiled as Grissom put an arm around her shoulders and led her out saying gently "Come on, he'll be OK."


	7. Chapter 7

Back again. Sorry for the delay. Dont really know where I'm heading with this one - we'll just have to wait and see I guess. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. As always feedback is very welcome and gratefully accepted.

CHAPTER 7

The next morning, Catherine got a taxi to work, collected her car which was still in the carpark and drove straight back to the hospital.  
Grissom was already there talking to a tired Robbie and there was no sign of Nick.

The initial unconscious burst of panic subsided as the two men smiled at her and Grissom nodded towards the empty bed space saying "Nick went into theatre about 20 minutes ago. They're going to pin his leg so he could be a little while."

Robbie yawned and stretched. "I need some coffee. You wanna join me." he asked, tiredness evident in his Southern drawl. It hadn't seemed as strong the previous night thought Catherine as a surge of affection swept through her for this man she barely knew - the similarities to his brother were amazing. She was used to Nicks accent getting stronger the tireder he became.

They all headed to the foyer of the busy hospital and sat at the small cafe there drinking coffee and talking until Robbie could barely keep his eyes open anymore and was sent off to an arranged hotel room for some much needed sleep.

Catherine and Grissom went back to the waiting room, using the time to touch base with Brass and their CSI team. They didn't have to wait long before they were called back in and saw Nick back in his cubicle and resettled, his leg settled and braced underneath a large frame which held the sheets off of it.

The morning turned rapidly into afternoon and Catherine and Grissom sat quietly, reading papers, chatting casually and keeping out of the way of the doctors and nurses as they took care of Nick.

They were getting more responses as the day wore on. His eyes were opening groggily when his endotracheal tube was suctioned and when knuckles were rubbed along his sternum and his name called out. He would also return some of the pressure of Catherines hand squeezes before his eyes would drift shut.

By mid-afternoon, the alarms on the ventilator were alarming more often as Nick started struggling to over-ride the respirators forced inspirations. He was starting to wake up more and, the closer to consciousness he got, the more agitated he became with the ventilator, arms coming up to swipe at it and his head trying to pull away from the tube. He had been settling down pretty quickly though and was easily soothed by both Catherine and the attending nurse.

Robbie arrived back later in the afternoon, relieved by his little brothers improved condition.

By early evening, Nick was awake enough to really start pulling at the tube running down his throat and could not be consoled. Catherine was stroking his face and trying to calm him and Robbie was talking to him and trying to hold his arm down. But Nick was having none of it. He wanted the tube out, NOW!.

Dr Honnicutt was back and assessed Nick's conscious level and respiratory effort while talking to him calmly.

"Its OK, Nick. We're going to take the tube out now. Just relex. Its OK."

Dr Honnicutt suctioned down the tube one last time which made Nick cough again and struggle harder.

While the nurse set up a humidified oxygen mask, the doctor brought the head of the bed upright, cut the tape around the tube, deflated the balloon sitting deep in Nicks throat keeping the tube in place, causing him to cough even more, then pulled the tube free. Nick coughed violently as the tube came free and tried to swipe the other pair of hands away who were bringing the humidified oxygen mask over his face.

Finally he relaxed back against the pillow and relaxed, taking several deep rough breaths, enjoying the control he had over his breathing again.

Catherine clung onto his hand and smiled gently at him as he looked at her for a moment, content to see a familiar face, then dragged his eyes around the room, getting his bearings. His eyes rested on his brother and his eyebrows raised tiredly in acknowledgement as he raised an arm with effort and grabbed out at his shirt.

Robbie smiled with genuine relief and affection and hung onto Nicks hand tightly. "Hey bro, Nice to see you awake again." he said quietly to Nick.

Nick tried to talk but no words came out and he coughed again at his dry and irritated throat.

Robbie lay a hand on Nicks shoulder and squeezed it. "Save it Nicko, we'll talk later. Just relax, man. I'm not going anywhere."

Nick smiled a small, tired smile and looked over at Catherine and held out his other hand to her. She smiled and squeezed it and lay it back down at his side. He looked around the room again, his gaze not lingering on anything for very long.

He spotted his boss standing back watching him with a relieved smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He returned the smile and closed his eyes. The trial of waking up taking its toll and exhausting him.

Robbie still smiled as he excused himself to go and call his parents who had made it back to Melbourne and were having to wait until the following day before they could fly out to Las Vegas.

Nick slept for nearly an hour. When he woke again, he seemed more awake. He was able to focus on conversations for a little longer though still tired easily.

Grissom had headed back into the lab to catch up with Brass and the team. He was having to meet with Ecklie as well to organise day staff CSIs to cover for his decimated team while he, Catherine and Nick were off recovering.

Catherine had sat with Robbie talking.

Nick clung onto Robbie's hand when he woke, happy to see he was still there and relieved he hadn't dreamt seeing him.

Catherine smiled and asked "Have you two always been close?"

Robbie nodded and glanced at Nick whose eyes were drifting shut again.

"We're the Stokes boys." he said smiling. "Five sisters - we're the only boys. We had to stick together. There's only a couple of years between us so we were always pretty close. Fought every now and then but pretty good most of the time."

Catherine smiled again as she saw the obviously very deep bond between the two. "I bet you two got into all sorts of trouble growing up."

Robbie laughed out loud as memories resurfaced. "Dad always said nothing surprised him anymore, he saw it all with me and Nick."

Catherine looked at Nick. She couldn't picture him doing anything really bad.

As if reading her mind, Robbie chuckled again. "Dont be fooled by his 'good boy' routine." he said. "One time at boarding school, Nick and I got our hands on some 'not so legal' fireworks and set them on the football scoreboard. 'Cept we didn't really know what we were doin'. Blew the scoreboard six feet in the air and cost us about ten years worth of allowance. Nearly got the fast track out of school for that one. Man, when pa found out, I dont think either one of us could sit down for a week!"

Catherine's jaw dropped open. She couldn't picture Nick being a trouble-maker. Then she remembered Nick pulverising mailboxes during a game of mailbox baseball with Hodges only a couple of weeks ago.

Robbie continued. "Only last time Nicko came to stay at my place - I was having a shower and heard people in my house. Now, I live alone and knew the only one who would be around would be Nick. I hear a whole lot of voices though coming from my kitchen. I come out wearing a towel and there's a whole lot of strangers walking through my house! Nick had 'borrowed' an "Open For Inspection" sign from a couple of doors down and put it outside my house. He's welcoming them all into my home like he's the agent!" Robbie was shaking with laughter by the time he had finished the story and Catherine found herself laughing as well. It was amazing, she thought, how at ease she felt with this man.

So similar to Nick in so many ways that she had to keep reminding herself it wasn't him.


	8. Chapter 8

Another one up - please let me know what you think. Now this one might be a bit soppy! Apologies if you think it is.

CHAPTER 8

Catherine arrived back in the morning and stood momentarily at the entrance to the ICU looking at the touching scene in front of her. Nick was sitting out of bed, IVs, oxygen nasal cannula, catheter, all coming along for the ride. He was hunched forward his arms wrapped tight around his chest bracing them, his leg stuck out in front of him encased in an inflexible brace, Robbie hunched over him, his forehead resting on his brothers head, his arms resting on his shoulders as Nick shook with pain and sobbed with agonising breaths. A physio was crouched on her knees beside his recliner, talking to him quietly.

Catherine continued to watch as a nurse hurried back in and injected a syringe of what had to be pain relief into one of his iv ports.

Robbie pulled back as the effects of the narcotic became apparent and stood with one hand still resting on Nicks shoulder, gently squeezing it again and again, worry evident in his face.

The physio stood up and spoke with the nurse and together they move to either side of Nick and raised him back to his unsteady feet, manouvering him around awkwardly before settling him back in bed.

Nicks head lolled on the pillows and his eyes drifted shut again. Robbie drew both hands up to run through his hair and intertwined his fingers together so that his hands rested on top of his head. Lack of sleep and worry were clearly taking its toll on him.

Catherine came into the room and went first to brush her fingers through Nicks hair as he drifted further into sleep. He took a deep breath in and out indicating he was sound asleep and Catherine glanced at Robbie. "Why dont you have a break?" she asked. "I'll sit with Nick."

Robbie jammed his fingers into his eyes and turned away from Catherine abruptly, apologising under his breath.

Catherine moved to wrap an arm around his shoulders and smiled at him kindly. "He'll be OK, Robbie.' It was a statement made with such conviction that it was impossible not to believe. Robbie nodded his head rapidly, trying hard to regain his composure, apologising again. Catherine squeezed his shoulders tightly, Robbies apology echoing Nicks when he had confided in Catherine that he had been abused. It had broken her heart then, as Robbies raw concern for his brother broke it now.

Robbie stood taller and rubbed his hands over his face again.  
Catherine gripped his arm and said quietly, "Why dont you go get some rest. I'll sit with Nick. I'll look after him until you get back."

Robbie exhaled deeply and gave Catherine a tired smile, nodding again, slightly this time. "OK." he said.

He turned to leave, his stance showing how exhausted he was. He turned back briefly to say "Thanks, Catherine." before heading out of the ICU for some much needed sleep.

Catherine sat in the chair next to Nick and took hold of his hand.

It was nearly an hour and a half before Nick woke again. Catherine was reading a book she had brought when she felt eyes on her. Looking up she smiled and put her book down as she saw two tired dark eyes watching her. "Hey," she said softly, moving closer to lay her hand against his cheek. "How you feelin'?" Nicks eyes crinkled a little with a smile that barely reached his lips. He opened his mouth slightly and managed to rasp out "No' real good. Pain."

Catherine stood up as an older, African American nurse came in and checked on Nick.

"He's in pain." Catherine said, looking concerned.

The nurse nodded at her and bent down to make eye contact with Nick. "Nick? Where are you hurting, honey?" Nicks hand went to his head, dropping down to graze his chest then moved to point to his leg. The nurse smiled at him gently. "You hurting everywhere?" Nick nodded slightly with effort and murmured "Achin'."

The nurse lay a hand across his forehead and kept the gently smile going as she said "I'll get you some more paracetamol and a hot pack sweetie. That should make you feel better." And she turned and left.

Catherine leant in and stroked his hair gently, comforting him as his eyes squeezed shut at a particularly harsh spasm of pain. It passed quickly though and he peeked his eyes open again to look past Catherine. "Robbie gone?" he asked quietly.

Catherine smiled at him and said "He'll be back soon. He's gone to get some sleep."  
Nick nodded "Good." he said "He's tired."

The nurse came back in and injected some iv paracetamol into the port and tucked a hot pack, wrapped in a towel, underneath the sheet around his ribs.

She smiled sweetly at Nick again before saying "There you go, honey. You rest up some more. We're goin' to try getting you up again this afternoon."

He settled back sighing deeply as the hot pack eased his cracked ribs, but he didn't sleep.

Instead he lay quietly, the bed head elevated up 45 degrees and his eyes on the ceiling, his arms still across his chest, clutching the hot pack like a life line.

Catherine watched him for several moments before moving to sit on the side of his bed, her hand going back to graze across his forehead before cupping the left side of his face. "You OK?" she asked quietly.

She was startled at how quickly his eyes filled with tears - it was out of the blue.

One hand came up quickly to swipe across his eyes, fingers moving back to jam into his eye sockets, so similar to Robbie, as the inner battle was lost.

"Oh, sweetie, come here." said Catherine as she leaned down to wrap her uninjured arm around him and to raise him a little off the pillows, supporting him as he buried his head into the crook of her good shoulder and cried. She turned her head into his and whispered "shushes" and "its OK" over and over into his ear.

He regained his control relatively quickly and Catherine felt his breathing come in hiccoughing pants as the pain flared and he fought to regain his composure.

She heard him choke out a "Sorry Cath." and she brought her hand up to cup the back of his head, turning her head in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek and to say "Dont apologise, Nicky. Its OK to drop the tough guy act every now and then. I wont tell."

She held him a moment longer before she felt him pull away gently.

"Now," said Catherine "You wanna tell me what's goin' on?"

Nick shrugged marginally. "Just feelin' lousy." he started, "An' jus' sick o' all this shit always happ'nin' to me. Miss my brother."

He said the last few words so quietly that Catherine almost didn't hear him. "Sweetie, Robbie'll be back later. Once he's had a sleep."

Nick hung his head to stare at his hands. "He'll go back to Vermont in a few days and I wont get to spend any time with him again for God knows how long. I miss havin' him 'round. I miss Sara. I miss 'Rick."

His hand went back to swipe at his eyes again. He squeezed them shut and felt Catherine's hand return to stroke his hair, her thumb moving to rub gently across his forehead. It relaxed him and settled him and he felt the warmth of the hot pack envelope him.

Catherine watched as he drifted off again. And her heart broke for the third time that day.


	9. Chapter 9

Another chapter up. Please leave feedback. I love hearing what you think of this story and would love suggestions for future stories as well. Thanks in advance : )

CHAPTER 9

Grissom arrived back at the hospital late in the evening. He was exhausted. But he managed a smile as he saw Catherine and Robbie laughing at something which had been said and even Nick was sitting up in his bed looking a little brighter and smiling tiredly at the joke.

Catherine looked up when he arrived and her smile turned into a frown as she checked her watch. "Where the hell have you been?" she demanded, "I thought you just had to catch up with Ecklie."

Grissom groaned and fell into the spare chair heavily. "I helped out." he said simply.  
Catherine rolled her eyes. "Grissom, you shouldn't be working. You're injured!"

Grissom held up his hand to stop her rant. "The DB in the car that hit us was definitely involved in the 419 we were heading to. Greg found evidence of marijuana on the vics clothing and garbage bags in his car. They match the ones we found the drugs in. Looks like vic 1 was preparing to bag the goods for sale, vic 2 beat him to it and did the double-cross - silencing him permenantly. Explains why he was in such a rush to get down the mountain but doesn't explain who found the body and called it in. Looks like there might be another player - probably the person who's now missing his goods. There's only Greg and Riley from our team. Ecklie was having to rearrange schedules. There's another couple of CSIs flying in tonight from LA to help out, I couldn't just stand around and do nothing while the lab was going to hell, Catherine."

Catherine nodded. She knew she would have done the same thing.

Nick had been following the story as well as he could with his own mind effected by drugs - the legal kind. The regular pethadine shots were great for the pain but hell on the mind. He was finding it hard to keep focused for more than a couple of sentences.

Grissom smiled at him quietly and leaned forward to change the subject. He knew Nick and knew how much he would hate hearing how busy the lab was knowing there wasn't anything he could do to help.

"When are your parents arriving?" he asked.

Nicks eyebrows raised slightly and he thought for a minute before smiling selfconsciously and looked at his brother. "Tomorrow?" he asked softly. Robbie nodded and smiled at him affectionately. "Yeah, buddy. I'm goin' to pick them up in the morning."

Nick nodded as his brain struggled to focus again.

"Are you feeling tired?" Grissom asked again.

Nick started to nod but changed it to a shrug half way through. "Head feels fuzzy." he admitted, "Can't concentrate."

Grissom smiled at him kindly and put his hand briefly to Nicks forearm,giving it a quick reassuring squeeze. "It'll get better, Nick." he said gently. "Once you're off the medications it'll get easier. We should let you get some sleep."

Nick shook his head. "I'm 'K." he mumbled "Really, you dont have to go.".

Grissom watched him closely for a second before glancing at his watch.

It was Catherine's turn to speak up now. "You should try and get some sleep, Nick." she said, "You'll want to be at your best for your Mom and Dad tomorrow."

Nick looked down briefly as Catherine and Grissom both stood up to say goodnight. He glanced over at his brother who smiled back at him. "You want me to stay again tonight?" Robbie asked gently. Nick smiled a small embarressed smile and dropped his eyes down to the sheets as he nodded briefly. Robbie stood up and placed a hand on his younger brothers shoulder, "No problem, buddy. I'll just walk these guys out and leave a message on Mom's messagebank letting them know I'll be at the airport, and I'll be back."

Nick nodded again and relaxed back against the pillows. Catherine moved in and gave him a quick, awkward hug and kissed the top of his head, bidding him goodnight. Grissom settled for a squeeze of the shoulder and a smile and together, he, Catherine and Robbie headed out of the ICU.

Grissom was the first to break the silence between them. "Is he sleeping OK?"

Robbie nodded and shrugged. "The drugs are making him sleep well but he suffers with nightmares when he's tired or stressed. Has ever since he was kidnapped."

Grissom looked down at his feet.

Robbie continued, "I think he's worried he'll start screaming and disturb everyone. Its humilitating for him - gets really emarrassed."

Catherine ran her good hand across his forehead and stopped to look at Robbie. "I didn't realise he was still getting them." she said, "Do you want me to stay with you?"

Robbie started shaking his head before Catherine had stopped talking. "No, no. Its fine, Catherine. Really. I've sat though a few of these nights with him - mainly after that night. He and I have sorted out a strategy for coping with them. He'll be OK. You go get some sleep. Man, you must be exhausted."

She was. There was no denying it.

"I'll drop by in the morning and sit with him while you pick up your parents." she said.

Robbie smiled and said "Thank you Catherine. That would be great. Nick and I really appreciate your support. Both of you."

Grissom and Robbie shook hands before Robbie was enveloped in a hug from Catherine.

"You call us if you need anything, you hear?" said Catherine as they parted.

"Will do, Catherine."


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

The next morning was a hive of activity as Robbie left to meet the boys parents at the airport and Nick was showered with difficulty (not to mention frustration on his part, and some significant pain). He had refused any pain relief other than paracetamol because he wanted a clear head when his parents arrived, but Catherine saw it was taking a toll.

All showered and shaved, Nick relaxed back in bed and waited for his parents, chatting quietly to Catherine.  
Nick was to be moved to a general ward later in the morning so Catherine packed away his meagre belongings for transport.

Finally, Robbie returned with their parents and Catherine, after a quick greeting, moved away to let the family reunite.

As Nicks mother clung onto her youngest child, his father and Robbie made their way to where Catherine was standing.

Catherine shook his hand and waved away his thanks for taking care of his son.

"How was your flight from Australia?" she asked.

Nicks father closed his eyes momentarily and wiped a hand wearily over his face. "It was horrendous." he said simply. "15 hours from Melbourne to Los Angeles. Worried sick about our boy the entire flight. But, at least we're here now."

He looked over to the bed as his wife finally let go of Nick and lay a gentle kiss on his forehead before turning to the others.

Looking well groomed as always, Nicks Moms face told a different story - etched with exhaustion and immeasurable worry.  
It wasn't lost on Nick.

"Mom?" he said concerned. She turned to smile at him. "Mom, go get some sleep. I'm OK. You look like you're ready to fall."

His Mom shook he head, laying a hand against his temple. "I'm staying with you." she said firmly.

"I'm OK, really. Robbie and Catherine are here as well. Please, Mom, go get some rest." he pleaded with her.

Nicks father came across to put an arm around her shoulders and said "Jillian, lets go to the hotel. We'll have a few hours sleep and come back this afternoon." He smiled at his son and asked "Are you sure you're OK with that? We can stay if you need us."

Nick shook his head and gave his Dad a smile back. "I'll be fine, Cisco. I've managed for the last couple of days - I can manage for another few hours."

His father nodded and, arm still around his wife's shoulders, headed for the door, turning back once to mouth "Thank you." to the others.

Nicks parents had only been gone about half an hour when two burley orderlies arrived and transported Nick, bed and all, to his new hospital room. Luck was on his side again when they arrived to a relatively spacious single room with ensuite.

The small trip from ICU to the private room coupled with the brief reunion with his parents and no pain relief, had knocked the stuffing out of Nick. He could barely hold his head up and fell into a deep slumber

Catherine settled herself into one chair while Robbie dropped into the other. The conversation came freely as if the two were old friends.

Robbie told Catherine about his life in Vermont and how he was looking at moving back closer to family - he had a job prospect in Los Angeles which he was looking forward to persuing. He had always liked LA life and would be closer to his family in Texas and Nick in Vegas.

Catherine spoke about her family - her Mom and Lindsay - and her work family.

Their conversation was punctuated by the odd moan from Nick, who was clearly having a restless sleep with all that had happened in the morning. He was tossing and turning more than he had the last few days, and was reliving old, painful memories.

When the restlessness would peak, Robbie would rise quickly and settle him without waking him.

Sitting back down after the most recent episode, Catherine commented on his ability to calm his brother.

Robbie sat back down and glanced up at Catherine, leaning forward to rest his head on his hands. "I've had a bit of practice over the last few years." he said sadly. "I dont know how much he let on to you guys but he had a really bad time of it for months and months after he was abducted. He tries to hide it from most people - even Mom and Dad. But the two of us have gone through some crap together over the years. He's been there for me. I'm here for him."

Nick had been crying out and bolted upright suddenly in bed, pain kicking him in the ribs with a ferocity that took his breath and made him cry out again. Catherine got up and moved to the wall to give Nick some privacy as he clung onto Robbie, who spoke to him softly and rubbed Nicks back until he finally settled yet again into an uneasy rest.

Robbie sat on the side of the bed a little while longer before moving back to his chair and continuing with their conversation.

"After Nick was taken, after he was rescued, he was in counselling for months before he could sleep through the night."

Catherine gazed at Nick, eyes shut, a light sheen of sweat covering his face and his breathing coming rapidly as his panic increased before settling as it subsided again.

"I didn't know." she said. "I knew he was in counselling, but he never spoke to us about it. I wish I'd known."

"You're too important to him," Robbie started, "He loves you guys. He loves the team. He didn't want to worry y'all, but he also didn't want to jeopodise his position on the team - didn't want pity. He just wanted to pick up the peices and move on. Control the controllables."

"We could have helped him - somehow." she said.

Robbie shrugged. "He made it through OK, Catherine. He's tough. Counselling helped though. I think we should start it up again to get through this setback. He wont like it though."

"I want to help this time." Catherine said.

Robbie smiled at her. "Lets play it by ear." he said.


	11. Chapter 11

Please let me know what you're thinking of this story. Its a little hard to keep the motivation going at times, so if you're enjoying it, please drop me a line and let me know. Please.

CHAPTER 11

The next few days passed by with physio sessions, showers, regular antibiotics and constant visits by his family and friends.

Nicks head wound was healing nicely and the antibiotics had so far avoided infection. His ribs were healing too and requiring only paracetamol and Voltaren to manage the pain.

His leg was a different matter.

The bones had been pinned and he would require further surgery eventually to remove them but, in the short term, would need to wear a brace to keep his leg straight. He would be on crutches for at least 8 weeks.

Now that the heavy duty drugs were out of his system, sleeping was becomming a bit more of a problem. Nick was wearing himself out during the day with physio and pushing himself to get out of hospital as quickly as possible so that nights were often spent in a restless sleep. waking at least a couple of times from nightmares ranging from making him moan and toss and turn to crying out and trying to hit out at whoever was trying to wake him.

He was still having one of his family staying with him overnight for support but, despite this, finally the D word was starting to be discussed.

Discharge.

Grissom had been coming in for brief visits on nearly a daily basis.

Catherine was spending at least a couple of hours a day with Nick and had taken her turn the previous night to sit with him. His bed elevated to a 45 degree angle, he had woken several times in the first half of the night - in a sweat, calling out for his family and friends and taking slightly longer each time to reorientate himself to his surroundings. He was already tired at the beginning of the night and, instead of becoming more rested, was becoming more exhausted with the disturbed sleep.

On the fourth time, Catherine woke him as the terror stated yet again and Nick bolted upright, sweat running in rivers down his cheeks, his whole body shaking and his eyes darting around the room.

Catherine sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her good arm around his shoulders, her hand cupping the back of his head as she pulled him in to rest his forehead on her shoulder. His breathing was coming in gasps as he fought to calm down. She heard him muttering to himself - the same word over and over, "Safe. Safe. Safe."

She rubbed her hand up and down the back of his head and rocked him gently until she felt him calm down and finally pull away.

She watched him as he collapsed back exhausted onto the pillows but not daring to close his eyes.

She smiled down at him, a concerned, maternal smile.

He dug his fingers back into his eye sockets, not crying this time but absolutely wrung out, as Catherine lay a tender hand on his forehead. Moving her hand to rest alongside his temple, she gently rubbed her thumb along his hairline. She barely heard his voice as he whispered, "Can' do this anymore, Cath."

Catherine frowned slightly and kept rubbing her thumb against his temple as she answered, "What cant you do, sweetie?"

He took a big, deep breath in and out and took his fingers away from his eyes, opening them and looking sadly at Catherine. "Can' sleep properly. Don' wanna dream anymore. Jus' wanna sleep." He reached a hand up and scrubbed at his forehead before throwing an arm across his face, his eyes squeezed shut again in frustration.

"OK." said Catherine, suddenly all business like. "Over on your side, Nicky. Time for a back rub. Lets see if that will help."

Nick shook his head underneath his arm. "Can' sleep, Cath. Can' stand the dreams. Please." his voice was almost desperate, pleading with her not to make him try to sleep again.

"OK." said Catherine again. "You dont have to sleep. We'll move you onto your side and I'll give you a back rub. You dont have to sleep. It'll just help you feel better. We'll just sit here all night. And we wont sleep. OK?"

Nick nodded slightly and mumbled "'K."

Catherine had an ulterior motive. She hoped if she could relax him enough that he would settle into a more rested sleep. She hoped she could keep him asleep without being troubled by the nightmares - if she could settle him before he woke completely.

She lowered his bed down to nearly flat and helped him to roll onto his side, cuddled up to a pillow to brace his ribs, another pillow supporting his injured leg. Catherine sat on the side of the bed and gently started massaging his back soothing him with quiet words - "You dont have to sleep, Nicky. We'll just stay awake so you dont dream. Its OK. You dont need to sleep." She muttered the mantra over and over, voice barely a whisper. And she watched as, after several long, long minutes, Nicks eyes grew heavy and drifted shut - every now and then flicking open as he fought the effects of drowsiness. Still Catherine continued with the massage until he could fight no more and his eyes closed completely, his breathing evening out.  
And still Catherine continued to rub his back until she heard and felt him take a deep breath in and out indicating he was sound asleep. She stopped the rubbing and smiled at the look of peace on his relaxed face.

She pushed herself off the edge of the bed slowly so as not to disturb him and went to the opposite side, sitting in the vacant chair where she could watch him sleep, and pulled out her book which had been neglected for much of the night.

Only once during the rest of the night did Nick stir slightly and Catherine quickly got up and restarted the massage until he settled again.

And he was still sound asleep when the door opened the next morning and Robbie arrived with two coffees.

He slept through his parents arrival not long afterwards.

And still when the noisy breakfast trolley was pushed through the ward.

Finally Catherine left for some much needed sleep herself - Robbie walking her out to the carpark.

Finally He felt more rested and in control than he had in ages. Granted there was still some pain to deal with but it was manageable.

As the morning progressed, Nick had enjoyed a long, hot shower, had attended his physio session and was sitting out of bed ready to enjoy his lunch. Robbie had gone out and brought him back a Double Double In'N'Out burger to replace the wilted salad and meatloaf provided by the hospital catering department.

He was having to say a temporary goodbye to his brother in the evening who was having to fly back to Vermont to finish up with some work commitments. Robbie promised Nick he would be back in a week to spend some time with him when he was finally out of hospital.

He chatted quietly with his parents as ate and had just finished up with his burger when the door to his room opened and a middle-aged man in a suit entered with a manila folder under one arm. He smiled at Nick and his familyand introduced himself.

"Nick, its nice to meet you. My name's Tom Stewart and I'm one of the hospital based psychologists."

Nick unconsciously screwed up his face a little before he controlled his facial expression again. It was not lost on Tom Stewart, who smiled as though this reaction was something he encountered often.

"I take it this isn't your first experience seeing a psychologist."

Nick smiled,embarressed and ducked his head down. "Sorry." he muttered.

Tom laughed - a kind, genuine laugh - and took a seat next to Nick and his family. "Dont apologise, Nick. I get it a lot. One of the perks of my job. Fortunately, I can deal with it - I know how to treat myself for acute paranoia."

Nick chuckled softly and looked up. His father moved to stand behind him, extending a hand to shake Toms. His mother rested a hand on his good knee as they listened to Tom start to talk.

"Now." said Tom. "I've received a referral to see you regarding the nightmares you've been having. I read your file. I know you were kidnapped nearly four years ago and underwent counselling afterwards. I want to talk about the treatments you received psychologically during that time and strategies you were taught. Then I want us to talk about the dreams you've been having and what we're going to do to help you out. OK?"

Nick took it all in and nodded. As much as he didn't like the thought of having to see a 'shrink' again, he really, really wanted to make the dreams stop.

He felt his fathers hands rest on his shoulders, a gentle squeeze, then "Poncho, we'll leave you to talk alone. We'll be back soon."

Nick nodded and reached a hand up to squeeze one of his fathers hands in reply.

His Mom and Dad left and he was alone with Tom. He dropped his head down again and became engrossed in his fingers.

After several moments of silence, Nick glanced back up to see Tom sitting back watching him, a slight smile on his face. "Ready?" he asked. Nick gave an embarressed smile and a shrug and said "Yeah. Where do we start."


	12. Chapter 12

Another chapter up! I think I'm almost done with this story. Maybe another chapter left in me. Please review. Its very much appreciated. I'm never sure if its ettiquette to reply to the reviews but they are all received with grateful thanks and they make my day - to know that people are reading my story from the other side of the world and enjoying it is mindblowin! So thankyou, thankyou, THANKYOU to all those who have already reviewed and left feedback and, to the regular feedbackers - you guys are awesome!!!

CHAPTER 12

Nick got out of his SUV and made his way slowly up the path to his house leaning heavily on his crutches. His father got out of the drivers seat, reached across into the back and grabbed Nicks bag of belongings. Walking beside his son, he rested a guiding hand on the small of Nicks back and gave him a small smile.

"Your mother will stay on, Pancho, but I'll have to head back to Dallas in a couple of days and get back to the office. If you need me to come back, you just pick up the phone, son, and I'll be on the first flight out."

Nick nodded and said "I'll be OK, Cisco. Mom'll be here and Rob's coming back tonight. Plus Cath'll be dropping in and out."

His father smiled and brought his hand up to Nicks shoulder. "You've got good friends here, son."

The pair stopped as Judge Stokes unlocked Nicks front door and punched the security code into the touch pad.

As the door opened, Nicks senses were overloaded by the smell of chilli cooking. His mother came out of the kitchen and wrapped her arms around him, enveloping him in a long hug. She pulled away and smiled at him, putting a hand behind his head and making him bring it forward so she could press a kiss to his forehead. "Welcome home, my darling."  
Nick smiled and ducked his head down, "Thanks, Mom."

"Come and sit down. I'm making chilli and for dessert, pumpkin pie!"

Nick moaned. It had been ages since he had eaten his Moms home-made chilli. And, no-one in the world made better pumpkin pie!

He hobbled over to the couch and put up with his Moms fussing as sat heavily. She passed him the remote control and ran a hand through his hair as she said "I want you to relax, Nick. You're not to lift a finger!"

So Nick settled in for a good afternoon of watching TV and being spoilt.

Catherine arrived again mid afternoon and Nick was nearly overpowered by maternal affection with both his real Mom and Catherine, his surrogate Mom, smothering him with attention. Nick got half way though the afternoon before he had to excuse himself and went to lie down.

He lay on the bed and closed his eyes. He evened out his breathing and took himself to his 'safe place' and meditated quietly. Taking a deep breath in, he held it a second and released it, imagining any tension in his body going with it. Another breath. More tension gone. The technique was a crude but effective method to calm him before sleep and he had noticed the difference in the quality of his sleep almost immediately.

Tom Stewart had done his job well. He had made numerous visits to Nick during the remainder of his hospital stay and taught him valuable strategies. Nick had found him to be an excellent listener and had unloaded to him about things which he had not spoken to anyone about before.

More deep breaths in and out and Nick felt himself relax more and more.

"Nick?"

He frowned and mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Nick. Wake up Pancho."  
His eyes opened groggily and looked up at the familiar face of his father.

"You'd better wake up now, son. You wont sleep tonight otherwise."

Nick sat up with effort and rubbed at his eyes.

"How long have I been out?" He asked, rubbing his hands over his face as he yawned hugely.

His father glanced at his watch and smiled back at his son. "3 hours give or take. Its gone 6 and Robbie's just arrived."

Nick swung his legs awkwardly over the side of the bed - his bad leg remained encased in the hard brace - and his father helped pull him to his feet, passing him his crutches.

He hobbled, still a little groggy from sleep, out into the living area entrance. Robbie was sitting next to Catherine on the couch thanking her for the ride from the airport. Nick raised an eyebrow at how relaxed they were in each others company. He hadn't noticed their body language before but both were leaning in towards each other as they spoke, Catherine subconsciously flicking the hair from her face every now and then, Robbie gazing at her like a schoolboy when she wasn't looking.

Nick watched them for a couple of seconds discretely. He loved his brother and he loved Catherine, but wasn't really sure if he loved the idea of Robbie and Catherine together. It weirded him out a little.

His thought pattern was broken when his father came past him into the room and drew everyones attention to the fact Nick had arrived. Robbie got up immediately and went to give his little brother a hug. "Have some news for you little bro." he said as Catherine smiled at him from the couch.

"I've got a new job - in LA."

Nick puched his brother in the shoulder and wrapped him in another hug - delighted at the prospect of having Robbie living a little closer.

Catherine glanced at her watch and got off the couch. "I've got to get home. Enjoy sleeping in your own bed tonight, Nicky." she said as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

She waved a farewell to Nicks parents and picked up her handbag to leave.  
"I'll walk you out." Robbie said and headed out the door with her.

Nick shot his parents a questioning look. His mother walked into the kitchen and his father raised his eyebrows with a grin but said nothing.

"Nick." called out his mother. "Take a seat, sweetie. Dinners ready."


	13. Chapter 13

Guys - the feedback has been phenomenal - THANK YOU!!! I hope you've enjoyed this story. I'm always open to more ideas being put forward for future stories - lets face it though, they'll more than likely be Nick angst!! : ) Thanks again for your time in reading this story.

CHAPTER 13

The next couple of days were spent with Nick catching up with his family. He had several opportunities for long talks with his parents about a range of topics and lots of highly competitive challenges with Robbie on the playstation.

As much as he loved his life in Las Vegas, and as much as he loved his friends, he dearly loved his family and missed them terribly. He had always suffered bouts of painful homesickness and knew that, had he not had the burden of the Stokes name in Texas, he would probably still be living in Dallas. He knew that when they all left to go home, the homesickness would return with avengence as he returned to his solitary bachelor lifestyle.

The thought of Robbie living so close in LA, however, was something to look forward to. They were already talking about catching football and basketball games together and time off being shared between LA and Vegas.

One afternoon after a particularly spectacular defeat at the hands of Robbie, Nick sat laughing on the couch, hands laced over his face as his brother crowed in delight at his Madden vistory. Robbie sat heavily next to his brother and ruffled his hair.

Once the laughter subsided, the two sat in a comfortable silence. Robbie leant forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "So, Nicko."

Nick pulled his hands away from his face and leant forwards as well. Robbie glanced at the scar running along Nicks hairline and reached up to graze it with his thumb. He smiled with effort at his brother and his lip quivered ever so slightly as he quickly leant forward and pulled his brother into a tight hug. He held him with all his might and choked out a sobbing breath. Nick brought his arms up to return the hug.

"Rob? You OK?" he mumbled, his head pinned to his brothers shoulder.

He heard more choked out chuckles. "I thought I was going to lose you." Robbie almost whispered.

Robbie hung on a moment later before finally pulling away and dragging a hand across his eyes - chuckling - embarrassed.

Nick ducked his head.

Robbie took a deep breath in and out and lay a hand on his brothers back.

They sat in silence for several moments more before Robbie cleared his throat.

"So," he said, "Catherine is coming over this evening for dinner."

Nick shot him a sideways glance and a grin. Robbie grinned back.

"We were thinking,if you're up for it, we might take you in to your work - let you catch up with some of your workmates."

Nick shrugged and looked back down at his hands as he replied "Yeah, OK."

Robbie smiled and patted him on the back before going to push up from the couch. Nicks voice stopped him.

"Rob, whats the deal with you and Cath?"

Robbie leant back into the couch and looked sideways at his brother. He frowned for a moment before replying. "I dont know. We've just gotten to know each other over the last couple of weeks. She's an awesome lady."

Nick nodded quietly. "She's my friend too, Robbie. Dont hurt her, OK."

Robbie pushed himself forward again and looked Nick in the eye. "I would never do that, bro. You know that." Nick nodded. "Besides," said Robbie. "We're only friends."

He pushed himself up off the couch and headed into the kitchen, turning back at the counter to smile and say, "At the moment."

Catherine arrived and enjoyed a quiet family dinner with the Stokes'. She enjoyed the family contact which she missed more and more now as Lindsay had grown up and was spending less time at home. And she enjoyed how the Stokes family welcomed her into their fold as if she was one of their own.

After dinner, Robbie and Catherine bundled Nick into Catherines SUV and drove him into the lab.

It was almost the start of the grave shift and they found Grissom already in his office working. Catherine headed off to the kitchenette to get coffees while the two brothers sat and talked to Grissom. Much to his annoyance, Nick still had a long was to go before he could be considered for return to work. He tried briefly to debate the point with Grissom but, between his boss and his older brother, didn't get very far.

After a long talk and cup of coffee, the three CSIs gave Robbie a tour of the lab, dropping in to meet Greg, Archie, Doc Robbins and Jim Brass before Catherine insisted it was time for Nick to head home. He didn't admit it but he was becomming more and more exhausted. As the tiredness increased so did the ache in his leg and chest, so it was with gratitude that he accepted Robbies inconspicuous guiding hand on his back as they made their way back to Catherines vehicle.

He spread out in the back seat and dozed as he heard Catherine and Robbie chatting softly in the front. Their soft banter and interaction made Nick smile - maybe he could live with two of his favourite people hooking up.

It was almost four weeks after the accident that Nick was allowed back to work. Lab work. He was still on the crutches so didn't have much ammunition to argue and, frankly, was just happy to be out of the house.

His parents had gone home to Dallas with hugs and kisses and promises of more frequent visits. Robbie had headed back to Vermont to get his old life sorted out before heading off to start his new life in Los Angeles. Nick was sad to see his brother go but had the prospect of a Cowboys game in LA together in a few weeks to look forward to. Catherine was sad to see him go as well and was as excited as Nick at the prospect of him moving to LA.

There had been an awkward moment after they had taken Robbie to the airport where Catherine and Nick sat together eating dinner at Nicks home. Catherine had started a deep and meaningful conversation with him about how he felt with the fact she and Robbie had decided to make an effort to keep their fledgling relationship alive despite the distance. Nick really did not want to have to have these sort of conversations with either Catherine or Robbie. So instead he pulled Catherine into a quick hug and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm fine with it Cath. Welcome to the family." Catherine snorted a laugh and slapped him on his arm. "Its not quite there yet, Nicky!" He laughed along with her until they lapsed into a comfortable silence. "Well, you'd make a great sister, Cath."

She smiled at him fondly. "Thanks Nicky - you'd be a great brother too. And no matter what happens, you'll always be my great friend."

THE END


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